An arrangement for translating protocol data units for incompatible networks to one another is an interface which, in some circumstances, has considerable intelligence and is referred to in the specialist world by the term “gateway”. This interface carries out functions for layers 3 or above (up to layer 7) in accordance with OSI reference model (see Course Leaflets, Year 48, 2/1995, pages 102 to 111 and N. Kluβmann: Lexikon der Kommunikations—und Informations-technik [Dictionary of Communications and Information Technology], 1997, Hüthig-Verlag, pages 360 to 362.
The term network refers to all resources which connect service access points that are at a distance from one another and provide these services for communication purposes. This relates not only to networks with a very limited extent, such as local area networks, but also to networks with a very large extent; for example, telecommunications networks.
Networks whose protocol data units are incompatible include, in particular, telecommunications networks (for example, the public telephone network (PSTN), the integrated service digital network (ISDN), the landline network that is based on the asynchronous digital subscriber line (ADSL), the mobile radio network based on the GSM Standard (first and second mobile radio generation), the mobile radio network based on the UMTS Standard (third mobile radio generation), the mobile network based on the DECT and/or PHS Standard, the global computer network (Internet), the electricity supply network and the broadband cable network) and any type of local area networks (for example, the home automation system, including a network with a radio transmission path, a PLC transmission path, an IRDA transmission path, an InstaBus transmission path, an HES Bus transmission path, a twisted pair transmission path or a coaxial cable transmission path).
According to the documents ?Funkschau [radio show] 3/1989, pages 45 and 46; Elektronik [electronics] 18/1995, pages 50 to 58; Elektronik [electronics] 17/1996, pages 42 to 47 and pages 48 to 53; Elektronik [electronics] 4/1997, pages 64 to 72; Elektronik [electronics] 1/1998, pages 30 to 33; Elektronik [electronics] 17/1998, pages 74 to 77, pages 78 to 81 and pages 82 to 84? the home automation system describes the technical management of buildings and dwellings. This covers everything that relates to the convenience of the occupant. This includes, for example, load and energy management, water heating, lighting, ventilation and heating systems, control of motor-driven elements (for example, blinds, garage doors, roller shutters, etc.) and safety and protection devices (for example, smoke/fire alarms, intruder warning systems, access monitoring systems, motion indicators, etc.)
Furthermore, the term “technical management” also covers the control of any other electrical appliances, from adjusting a clock to switching on a coffee machine. For installation of home automation systems (building bus systems), the following preconditions must be essentially satisfied for successful market introduction:                1. No need for any additional wiring        2. Little cost involved        3. Uniform communication standard        4. Interoperability        5. Plug-and-Play capability        
In the recent past, various standards for home bus systems have crystallized out in the field of home automation systems based on different approaches (consumer-item orientated approach, installation-item oriented approach, computer-hardware-oriented approach). However, to a greater or lesser extent, these represent specific solutions for home automation. These standards include:                1. For the consumer-item-oriented approach, the Consumer Electronics Bus (CEBus), the ESPRIT Home System (EHS) and the Home Bus System (HBS);        2. for the installation-item-oriented approach, the Bati Bus, the European Installation Bus (EIB) and the Smart House; and        3. for the computer-hardware-oriented approach, the Local Operating Network (LON) and The Real Time Operating System Nucleus (TRON).        
The question as to which of the standards that have been mentioned ultimately will be adopted, and will thus become the de-facto standard, depends essentially on the attractiveness of the respective standard for home automation. However, such a system is attractive and really useful only if there are a wide range of products which communicate via this network. Only if the house or dwelling occupier knows when he/she purchases a washing machine, an electric cooker, etc., that the respective appliance will communicate with his/her home bus system, will he/she perhaps be prepared to pay the additional costs for a home automation system, and to install such a system in his/her house. However, if the manufacturer of these appliances does not know which bus system will win the race in the end, then this manufacturer will not, in fact, be prepared to invest in an expensive interface for the respective bus system in order to find, subsequently, that the appliances cannot, in fact, be sold any better as a result of this investment.
In order to improve the attractiveness of the home automation systems described above, an intelligent home interface (residential gateway) is, therefore, required which is both cost-effective and offers the manufacturer of appliances which can be remotely controlled for home automation purposes wide variation options for the implementation of the interfaces for the bus system that is used for home automation.
One approach for providing an “intelligent home interface” (residential gateway) as it is known from a German patent application entitled “Anordnung zum Ineinanderübersetzen von Protokolldateneinheiten inkompatibler Netze” [Arrangement for translation of protocol data units of incompatible networks to one another, official application file reference 19904544.5, is to provide for translation of protocol data units of incompatible networks to one another, a telecommunications network (for example, a public telephone network (PSTN), the integrated service digital network (ISDN), the landline network based on the asynchronous digital subscriber line (ADSL), the mobile radio network based on the GSM Standard (first and second mobile radio generation), the mobile radio network based on the UMTS Standard (third mobile radio generation), the mobile network based on the DECT and/or PHS Standard, the global computer network (Internet), the electrical power supply network and the broadband cable network) and a local area network (for example, in the form of a home automation system, including a network with a radio transmission path, a PLC transmission path, an IRDA transmission path, an InstaBus transmission path, an HES Bus transmission path, a twisted pair transmission path or a coaxial cable transmission path) via a telecommunications terminal which is connected to the telecommunications network, has a remote control structure and is allocated to any given x interface for connection to the local network via a specific network adapter.
Owing to the increasing convergence of communications and information appliances, the telecommunications terminal in this case has the “intelligent interface” function (“gateway” function) added to it. The information (for example, control commands, status information, alarm messages, etc.) that needs to be transmitted for remote control of appliances in the local area network is transmitted from the interface in a specific record format, with a first record format part which indicates the appliance identification and/or the appliance address, a second record format part which contains the control command for the appliance, and a third record format part which contains the control payload information.
A telecommunications terminal designed in this way makes it possible to drive any appliances connected to that telecommunications terminal.
To do this, an operator has to use a remote control unit; for example, just by transmitting the appliance identification and the control command, to initiate an action in the appliance defined by the appliance identification, to switch the appliance to a different operating mode, or to check the current operating mode.
It is known for the output of the operating mode to be transmitted as a data word to the remote control unit, where it is generally produced in the form of an alphanumeric output on a display on the remote control unit.
Furthermore, appliances are known which convert data words, which generally contain numerical values, via a device for speech synthesis into the spoken corresponding form, which is produced as the output. For example, the value “0” is output as a spoken “zero”.
The user of such appliances then, generally, has to use a list or a manual to determine the meaning of this value; that is, in particular, an appliance status associated with this value.
This type of appliance status output is very tedious for an operator and requires that this list or manual always be available in order to control the appliance remotely.
“XPRESS Reference Manual for the HCS II—Release 3.62” Oct. 3, 1998, CREATIVE CONTROL CONCEPTS XP002162174 discloses a “home automation system” appliance, which is equipped as a single-board computer which can be upgraded in modular form. The appliance allows the domestic appliances to be controlled which are connected to the single-board computer via network modules, with voice outputs via a telephone line being possible via a speech module and a telephone interface module, when DTMF tones are entered.
An object to which the present invention is directed is to specify a method for conversion of a voice output of status messages, particularly in home automation systems, which can be implemented cost-effectively and easily and can be used universally for respectively different network types (for example, the types of networks mentioned above).